CSA Press Release

GROUNDWORK LAWRENCE AND FARMER DAVE’S OF DRACUT
TEAM UP AGAIN TO OFFER ‘FRESH PRODUCE TO GO’ IN LAWRENCE

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Makes Eating Locally Easy

Share-a-Share Program Spreads the Health

Lawrence, MA May 11, 2009 -- Groundwork Lawrence (GWL), a non-profit organization focused on building healthy communities, and Farmer Dave’s, a progressive, sustainable farm of Dracut, MA, have teamed up for a third season to bring locally-grown, fresh fruits and vegetables to Lawrence with a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. A convenient solution for people who love the taste of farm-fresh produce, but lack the time to shop, or wherewithal to grow it, CSA shares come fresh-picked, packed and ready to go for as little as $22 per week. Payment plans are available. Groundwork Lawrence is still offering shares for the 2009 season, with pick-ups every Tuesday beginning June 30 at 60 Island Street in Lawrence.

Every week, from late June through October, CSA members will receive a crate of fresh vegetables grown exclusively at Farmer Dave’s fields in Dracut and Tewksbury. Every share includes generous portions of the season’s bounty, each in its due time, including summer favorites such as tomatoes and corn, cooking staples like onions, carrots and potatoes, as well as chefs’ picks like chard, beets, and other novelties to experiment with throughout the season. Farmer Dave employs organic farming methods to ensure products that are healthy, nutritious, tasty and responsibly grown.

The CSA also offers a fruit share featuring strawberries, blueberries, melons, peaches and apples. The fruit is perfect for a healthy dessert. Businesses will often purchase a fruit or vegetable share to split amongst the employees in the office.

As part of its mission to make fresh, healthy food accessible to all, Groundwork Lawrence has introduced its Share-a-Share donation program. Donations to the Share-a-Share program help subsidize the cost of shares for individuals and families in Lawrence who are experiencing financial hardship. All donations are tax-deductible as allowable by law. Subsidized shares are available by request to Groundwork Lawrence, while funds are available. Groundwork Lawrence CSA members may use food stamps (EBT) to purchase their shares.

In addition, Groundwork Lawrence donates all unclaimed shares at the Lawrence site to the Neighbors in Need network of eight local food pantries. Almost 6,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Lawrence site have been donated in the last two years. Similarly, over the past ten years, Farmer Dave’s has donated over a half million pounds of produce to the needy in the area through the Merrimack Valley Food Bank and other hunger relief agencies.

For more information about 2009 CSA membership including pricing, payment plans and more, contact Groundwork Lawrence at (978) 974-0770, or visit Groundwork Lawrence CSAto register and/or make a donation.

Groundwork Lawrence is a non-profit organization working to create healthy communities and sustainable environmental change through community-based partnerships in Lawrence, Mass. Since 2001, GWL has catalyzed a number of resident-driven planning initiatives, two brownfield-to-park transformations, and several vacant lot and alleyway reclamations that have leveraged better public health, environmental justice, biodiversity, and neighborhood-based connectivity. GWL is elevating Lawrence's food security issues in light of numerous vacant land opportunities and rampant public health issues. In addition to the CSA, GWL manages the Lawrence Farmers Market and is creating a network of community gardens to encourage greater fresh food access, consumption, and affordability among Lawrence’s families facing food insecurity. Groundwork Lawrence is an affiliate of Groundwork USA.

Farmer Dave’s is based in Dracut, MA. Farmer Dave Dumaresq grew up working on farms in Dracut. Through the Peace Corps and other agencies he has helped farmers in Ecuador, and other Latin American countries become more sustainable. In 2006 Farmer Dave purchased and helped to preserve a 30 acre farm in Dracut that will remain as productive farmland for future generations. Farmer Dave is committed to growing high-quality, healthy food that is good for the people who eat it, the workers who tend it, and land that provides it, year after year. In addition to serving the Lawrence community, Farmer Dave’s offers CSA shares in Dracut, Tewksbury, Somerville, Gloucester and Boston Medical Center.